May 22 webinar scheduled to help other industries compete for funding

Tumwater – The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has awarded the SMART Association and the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties an $85,000 grant to partner in creating a program to get injured construction workers back on the job sooner.

The Return-to-Work grant, which is part of the Safety & Health Investment Projects (SHIP) Program, will fund the creation of an Internet-based Return-to-Work Toolbox — a database of job tasks and documentation that can be shared with employers across the state.

This grant project will solve a problem faced by many companies that find they have to create or recreate documentation for return-to-work job tasks for injured workers because there is no simple method for companies to share this information.

The SMART Association is a non-profit business association providing companies with resources necessary to manage and control risk in Washington state. The Master Builders Association serves Seattle, King County and Snohomish County as the nation's largest local homebuilders association.

Return-to-Work grants help Washington state industries bring to life innovative ideas that will get injured workers back on the job sooner and reduce long-term disability.

L&I will offer a 60-minute webinar on May 22 at 10 a.m. spotlighting the benefits of the grant program, which includes support from L&I to help applicants with the grant process.

To register for the webinar, contact Jenifer Jellison, grant program manager, at INVEST@LNI.wa.gov or call 360-902-5588.